


The Fluffiest Ice Cubes

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Fluffvember 2019 [1]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Gen, Joxaren | The Joxter Has Paws and a Tail, Platonic Cuddling, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 17:03:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21274664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: After an accident on theOshun Oxtraleaves Joxter with no blankets, Moomin offers to share his. He didn't expect it to turn into a sleepover, or to turn out quite like this.Fluffvember Day 1: “If you steal the blankets, I am going to put my cold feet on you.”/“I said we could share a blanket, but if you put your cold feet on me *one more time*…”





	The Fluffiest Ice Cubes

Moomin suppressed a squeal, his fur fluffing out in unwelcome shock as Joxter's cold toes buried themselves in his fur again, wiggling to get them in there good and deep.

“Joxter, I swear...” he started. On his other side, Muddler giggled, kicking his feet with glee and trying to muffle his giggles in the blankets. Moomin turned the glare to him, sulkily. “Muddler, stop encouraging him! He doesn't need encouragement!”

Muddler giggled harder at that, burying himself deeper in the blankets. Moomin could feel him shaking, and he knew later he'd see the humor in it himself, but right now...

Moomin turned back to look at Joxter, who was doing his best to look innocent and pulling it off to a frightening degree. “I said I'd share the blankets, but if you put your cold feet on me _one more time_...”

“But you're so warm and soft and fluffy,” Joxter protested, his eyes laughing even as he tried to pretend to be serious, attempting to fake puppy eyes and a pout. The innocent eyes he could pull off, but he was having to fight off a smile, which kept the pout from being effective. “And I'm so cold.”

Joxter's blankets had been used to clean up an emergency down in the engines, when one of them had started leaking a mystery fluid, something green with a pungent, sharp odor to it, and they were still soaking in cold water, trying to get it out.

It hadn't been the best use of his blankets, but, well, they were panicking. At least they got the leak stopped and figured out the fluid to replace it.

So Moomin had offered to share his. It had seemed like the right thing at the time, given Joxter's had been used to help them all, and it was a chilly night out there. Somehow, it had led to Muddler coming along for a sleepover in Moomin's room.

Which he wouldn't have minded, except Joxter kept burying his cold toes into Moomin's fur and making him jump, which was making Muddler giggle and encouraging Joxter to keep going.

Fredrickson could claim Joxter's teasing was affectionate all he wanted, he wasn't the one with cold toes in his fur.

“Your feet are as furry as I am,” Moomin said, eyes narrowing. “How can they be cold?”

The furry feet and paws had been a surprise, and yet in hindsight, probably shouldn't have been. But Joxter was always wearing both gloves and boots, never seemed to take them off even for his many naps, so how was Moomin supposed to know he had fur covering his paws up to his elbows, or furry feet with fur up to his knees?

It had taken a good amount of self control to realize he was staring and glance away.

But Joxter had little  _paw pads_ . And  _toe beans. _ Pads on the ball and heel of his foot, on the palms of his paws, beans on his fingers and toes. They were so cute!

Behind him, Muddler let loose another bout of giggles. He'd been fascinated by the pads and beans, by the soft fur on Joxter's limbs, staring at them and pressing on the pads to see Joxter's claws slide from his fingertips, and Joxter had put up with it for much longer than Moomin had expected him to.

The question of why Joxter felt the need to hide them none of them wanted to ask, not tonight, and Moomin wasn't sure if they ever would.

Joxter pouted harder, the effect ruined by the smile tugging harder at the corners of his lips and the way the very tip of his tail was waving, a slow curl and uncurl that Moomin had learned meant he was happy.

“The pads are cold. They don't have fur.”

“They certainly feel cold enough,” Moomin grumbled.

“Besides, you keep stealing the blankets, so I need to cuddle to get warm,” Joxter said.

About to protest that they were his blankets in the first place, Moomin paused. “Am I?”

Joxter nodded solemnly as he could, eyes still laughing. He flung an arm over Moomin's stomach, pressing up tighter against him, and Moomin wouldn't admit it but Joxter's feet were getting warmer.

There was a tug on the blanket, and Moomin narrowed his eyes. “I am not! You're stealing them.”

Joxter didn't reply, tucking his head under Moomin's chin and snuggling closer.

Moomin continued to grumble, pretending not to notice as Muddler skidded over by minute degrees until he was pressed against Moomin's back.

“Joxter...” Moomin tried as Joxter didn't move.

Joxter pressed in a little closer, toes in close to Moomin's fur and knees tucked up.

“Shh. Warm...” Joxter said thickly, on the edge of sleep. “Comfy. So soft...”

Moomin fought back a blush. That was the second time Joxter had complimented his fur, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. At the orphanage, his fur was an annoyance, too thick for the principal's liking, needing lots of combing to keep nice and staining easily from the numbers she painted on his back, making him look unkept and untidy, turning his back fur grey. He hadn't realized just how white his fur was until he'd left and started bathing himself regularly, rather than the hose-downs they had at the orphanage.

No one ever called him soft or fluffy and meant it as a compliment.

Muddler pressed a little closer, mumbling, “Super fluffy. So soft.”

Joxter started rumbling, and Moomin went still, afraid of just what mischief Joxter was thinking up, before it clicked.

Joxter was purring. Deeply asleep, cuddled in close, and purring hard enough Moomin could feel gentle vibrations.

“I didn't know he could do that,” Muddler whispered, as if he were afraid Joxter would stop if he heard Muddler, as if this were some sort of precious, stolen moment. He peeked over Moomin's side to stare at the sleeping Joxter in wonder.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Moomin raised a paw and lowered it, inch by cautious inch, until it rested on Joxter's back.

Joxter's purr intensified as he stretched and yawned before curling closer into Moomin's side, his paws curling into Moomin's fur in his sleep, head tucked against Moomin's shoulder for a pillow.

After a minute, Moomin lifted his paw to pull the blankets back over the two of them, resting his paw once more on Joxter's back once they were tucked in.

Amazing how someone like Joxter could seem so...so sweet right now, while asleep.

His feet were still freezing, though.

That was less sweet.


End file.
